Research Catalog

Picturing the proletariat : artists and labor in revolutionary Mexico, 1908-1940

Title
Picturing the proletariat : artists and labor in revolutionary Mexico, 1908-1940 / John Lear.
Author
Lear, John, 1959-
Publication
Austin, TX : University of Texas Press, 2017.

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TextUse in library JFE 19-10873Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xiii, 366 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color); 26 cm.
Summary
In the wake of Mexico's revolution, artists played a fundamental role in constructing a national identity centered on working people and were hailed for their contributions to modern art. Picturing the Proletariat examines three aspects of this artistic legacy: the parallel paths of organized labor and artists' collectives, the relations among these groups and the state, and visual narratives of the worker. Showcasing forgotten works and neglected media, John Lear explores how artists and labor unions participated in a cycle of revolutionary transformation from 1908 through the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940). Lear shows how middle-class artists, radicalized by the revolution and the Communist Party, fortified the legacy of the prerevolutionary print artisan Jose Guadalupe Posada by incorporating modernist, avant-garde, and nationalist elements in ways that supported and challenged unions and the state. By 1940, the state undermined the autonomy of radical artists and unions, while preserving the image of both as partners of the "institutionalized revolution." This interdisciplinary book explores the gendered representations of workers; the interplay of prints, photographs, and murals in journals, in posters, and on walls; the role of labor leaders; and the discursive impact of the Spanish Civil War. It considers "los tres grandes"--Rivera, Siquieros, and Orozco--while featuring lesser-known artists and their collectives. The result is a new perspective on the art and politics of the revolution.
Series Statement
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture
Uniform Title
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Criticism, interpretation, etc.
  • History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-352) and index.
Contents
Introduction : allegories of work -- Saturnino Herrán, José Guadalupe Posada, and the working class on the eve of revolution -- Workers and artists in the 1910 revolution -- El Machete and cultural and political vanguards -- Consuming labor : Revista CROM, art education, and La lectura preferida -- Cardenismo, the popular front, and the league of revolutionary artists and writers -- The Mexican Electricians Union, the art of the strike, and the Spanish Civil War -- "Unity at all costs!" and the end of revolution -- Conclusion.
Call Number
JFE 19-10873
ISBN
  • 9781477311240
  • 1477311246
  • 9781477311509
  • 1477311505
LCCN
  • 2016023738
  • 99970610026
OCLC
950751038
Author
Lear, John, 1959- author.
Title
Picturing the proletariat : artists and labor in revolutionary Mexico, 1908-1940 / John Lear.
Publisher
Austin, TX : University of Texas Press, 2017.
Edition
First edition.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Series
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-352) and index.
Local Note
EXAMINES PARALLEL PATHS OF LABOR ORG. LABOR/ARTIST COLLECTIVES, RELATIONS, VISUAL NARRATIVES, ETC.
Chronological Term
1900-1999
Other Form:
Online version: Lear, John, 1959- Picturing the proletariat. First edition. Austin : University of Texas Press, 2016 9781477311257 (DLC) 2016024710
Other Standard Identifier
99970610026
Sudoc No.
Z UA380.8 L477pi txdocs
Research Call Number
JFE 19-10873
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